Baxtron{Life}: travel

Sunday, July 21

Beluga Point, Alaska - Revisited

While my in-laws were visiting us last month we stopped off at Beluga Point and were stunned by the views now that the snow has melted. Check out Beluga Point with the snow covered mountains and frozen water, in my previous post.

I'll be playing catch-up this week, with lots of beautiful photographs from our recent (and not so recent) adventures in Alaska. Enjoy!

Tuesday, July 2

Our Next Adventure is....

We're going to Hawaii!!! We've been trying to decide for a while now where we want to take a family vacation, and this week we took the plunge and booked our hotel and flights to Oahu!!! We'll be staying on the leeward side of the island, slightly removed from the hustle and bustle of Waikiki but close enough to check out the action!

So, if you've been to Oahu, we are looking for all the recommendations of places not to miss, hidden foodie gems, etc.! We'll be there next month for a week! Can you tell I'm excited!?

Monday, July 1

Byron Glacier & Portage Lake - Alaska

To kick off hiking season in Alaska, we headed south of Anchorage toward the tunnel to Whittier. About an hour to an hour and a half down the Seward Highway, you get to Portage Lake, and the Begich Boggs Visitor Center. Portage Lake was still very much frozen and you can no longer view the Portage Glacier from the road as it is quickly retreating (about 1 foot per day).

We had Byron Glacier Trail recommended to us as a good family-friendly hike, so we took Zion as well as a few other co-workers and hit the trail. We were surprised by the fact that this relatively flat and busy trail was still covered in a lot of snow, but we hit it anyway, secretly enjoying the extra calorie burn from walking in slushy snow as opposed to bare ground.

The trail was short and definitely easily navigated by the most novice of hikers. We arrived to the snow field just below the glacier and had few options to where to go from there. A couple of Jerry's coworkers weren't prepared for the snow so they had soaked feet by the time we arrived at the snow field. Jerry, Zion and I headed to a patch of rocks and hiked up a small hill to get to them, and from there I snapped a few close-ups of the glacier while we snacked on fresh cherries and beef jerky.

It was a great intro to hiking out in the Alaska wilderness and definitely got me excited for more of these Summer activities!

Friday, June 7

Views of Mt. McKinley, Talkeetna - Alaska

After our adventure South to the Kenai Peninsula, we were exhausted but couldn't resist the urge to venture back out the next day in the beautiful clear weather. This time we opted to head North to Talkeetna, a small town that boasts of the best views of Mt. McKinley! While there was definitely some weather happening on the Mt. obstructing some of our view, we certainly weren't disappointed! I wish these pictures did more justice to the highest Mt. in North America!

After we snapped these pictures, we ventured into town and visited a yummy pizza place, and had ice cream before heading back to Anchorage. We all shared the same feeling that the weekend was too short and that my Mom & Don definitely need to make a return visit before we leave in a couple of months!